Budgie Diecast Miniatures No.24 Refuse Truck vintage toy

Budgie Miniatures

No.24 Refuse Truck

Budgie continued to use the cab and chassis based on a Bedford TK vehicle to create No.24 Refuse Truck. Like the others, the model appeared in a variety of colours and castings although the tipping body was always metallic silver.

Cast as one piece, the cab and chassis at first had a narrow cross-brace behind the cab and two holes at the rear for the tipper hinge-pin. This, however, was short lived being soon upgraded to have a wider cross-brace and the rear holes changed to clip-fit lugs.

Under the cab was a little base which on the early models had a short rear extension and a rivet holding it onto the chassis. Later this extension was lengthened but because the Refuse Truck body was only attached at the rear, the extra length was not in fact needed on this model.

The base lettering read 'A Budgie Model' and 'Made in England' which on the first base was asymetric or 'off-centre' which continued for a time on the type 2 base but was then revised and centralised.

There was only one version of the tipping body but it was cast in two parts, the second being the curved rear 'door'. Although it did not open, this piece was prone to falling out. Underneath the body, 'No.24' was cast.

First issue of the Refuse Truck had an orange cab and chassis, a silver body and black plastic wheels on flat-head and crimped axles. The tipper was attached by an axle-pin at the rear.

With the improved chassis new cab colours joined the orange version. These were yellow, dark green or red. Black plastic wheels common to all the variations continued but the axles changed to rivetted type.

No.22 Refuse Truck (which measured just 59mm long) first appeared in 1963 in the usual range of boxes and blister-packs used by Budgie. Despite being in production for just three years it is not hard to find although the first issue with hinge-pin is rare and some colours can be scarce.